A barge carrying petroleum products collided with another barge and caught fire near Galveston early Monday. There were no injuries reported, but the environmental impact is still being investigated.
(Photo: Air 11 / KHOU 11)

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas -- Fire crews have put out a blaze that broke out aboard a barge after it collided with another barge near Galveston.

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Andrew Kendrick says two tugboats were pushing a total of four barges early Monday morning near the Bolivar Peninsula when one of the boats lost power. The barge it was pushing then collided with another barge.

A fire erupted on a barge carrying about a million gallons of the petroleum product naphtha. Other barges were also carrying cumene, which is also a flammable liquid.

Crews extinguished the flames about four hours later, and there were no injuries reported. It remains unclear how much of the chemical products leaked into the waterway, however.

The glow of the fire could be seen for miles around as firefighters worked to get a handle on the blaze.

The Galveston/Bolivar ferry service was not disrupted, but the waterway from mile marker 348 to the ship channel is expected to be closed throughout day.

The Coast Guard says it first needs to assess damage to the barges and then figure out how much cargo was lost. Remaining cargo on board will then be transferred to other barges before the damaged ones can be towed away.